Govt has allocated an additional Rs.19,500cr to support solar PV module manufacturing under PLI
The Indian renewable energy market is expected to register a CAGR of more than 10% during 2022-2027 though the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak had led to a decrease in the consumption of bioenergy and other renewable energy sources when compared to the previous year, says a report by ResearchAndMarkets.
Furthermore, COVID-19 impact constituted a risk to investments made by individuals and small to medium-sized enterprises in the Indian renewable energy market, said the report “India Renewable Energy Market – Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022-2027)”
Factors such as supportive government policies, rising environmental concerns, incentives, and tax benefits for solar panel installations are expected to drive the market during the forecast period. However, the lack of grid infrastructure in rural areas is likely to hinder the market growth during the forecast period, according to the report, released 11 Mar 2022.
Key Highlights
The solar energy segment is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period, owing to increasing investment opportunities across the country.
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has set a target to achieve 450 GW of renewable energy installed capacity by 2030. This is expected to create an opportunity for the market to grow in the future.
The market is also propelled by supportive government policies, particularly the plans formulated by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) during the forecast period.
Key Market Trends
Solar Segment to Witness a Significant Growth
The solar segment is likely to have the largest market share during the forecast period, owing to declining costs of solar modules and the versatility of these systems for various applications, like electricity generation, water heating, etc.
India is endowed with vast solar energy potential. About 5,000 trillion kWh per year of energy is incident over India’s land area with most parts receiving 4-7 kWh per square meter per day. There has been a visible impact of solar energy in the Indian energy sector during the last few years.
According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the installed solar energy installed capacity in India was around 40.1 GW in 2020-2021, up from 34.6 GW in 2019-2020, recording a growth of around 16% during the year. This growth is the result of huge investments in the upcoming solar energy projects in India.
In December 2021, MNRE invited applications for the Expression of Interest in conducting the evaluation study of Phase-II of the Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Program. The program is a part of the National Solar Mission, which aims at installing 40 GW capacity of grid-connected solar rooftop installation systems by 2022.
Furthermore, in February 2021, Amara Raja Batteries Ltd (ARBL) announced plans to set up a 50 MW solar power plant in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh with a total investment of INR 220 crore over the next 18 months.
In August 2021, ArcelorMittal S.A. announced plans to set up a 4.5 GW solar park in Rajasthan with an investment of Rs.19,000 crore. It also plans to invest in Gujarat’s solar energy.
In January 2022, Azure Power has commissioned a 600 MW solar power project in Bikaner, Rajasthan. The power generated from the project, will be supplied to Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited(SECI) at a tariff of Rs2.53 per kWh for 25 years.
Hence, increasing investments in the solar energy sector is expected to aid the growth in India during the forecast period.
Supportive Government Policies and Programs Driving the Market Demand
The Indian government has introduced numerous supportive policies to increase the renewable energy installed capacity to 450 GW by 2030. These policies are set to achieve the targets during the forecast period.
As part of the Paris Climate Agreement, India has committed to install 40% of its electricity generation capacity from non-fossil fuels by 2030. For achieving this goal, India has set an ambitious target of setting up 175,000 MW of renewable energy capacity, including, 100,000 MW of solar power, by 2022. Further, a target of 450,000 MW installed RE capacity by 2030 has also been fixed.
In February 2022, the Indian government has allocated an additional Rs.19,500 crore to support solar PV module manufacturing under the production linked incentive (PLI) scheme.
The scheme has various provisions for supporting the set up of integrated manufacturing units of high-efficiency solar PV modules by offering Production Linked Incentive (PLI) on sales of such solar PV modules. It aims at attaining the ambitious goal of 280 GW of installed solar capacity by 2030.
In September 2021, the Indian government has announced plans to provide viability gap funding (VGF) or grants for offshore wind and storage projects. The new scheme will help discoms carry out renovation and modernization of substations. The government has set a target of adding 30GW of offshore wind energy projects by 2030.
Some other schemes implemented by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in the last three years are the Solar Park Scheme, the 300 MW defense Scheme, and the 500 MW of VGF (Viability Gap Funding) Scheme.
In January 2020, India made an ambitious target of having 450 GW of renewable energy by 2030. The announcement was made by the central government, which is already working on the project of installing around 100 GW of solar energy by 2022.
In December 2020, the Gujarat government implemented “the Surya Urja Rooftop Yojana” scheme to install solar rooftops for 8 lakh residential consumers by March 2022. Under this scheme, 40% of state subsidy will be provided on installing systems up to 3 kW and 20% subsidy for 3 kW-10 kW systems.
Therefore, numerous supportive polices by central and state governments are expected to drive the India renewable energy market during the forecast period.
The sector is led by:
Adani Green Energy Limited
Tata Power Company Limited
Azure Power Global Limited
NTPC Limited
ReNew Power India
Suzlon Energy Limited
First Solar Inc
Vestas Wind Systems A/S
Trina Solar Limited
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy
JinkoSolar Holding Co Ltd. fiinews.com
